diff --git a/coreapi/linphonecore.c b/coreapi/linphonecore.c
index bd852968e..bc52d67fa 100644
--- a/coreapi/linphonecore.c
+++ b/coreapi/linphonecore.c
@@ -1304,7 +1304,7 @@ static void linphone_core_init(LinphoneCore * lc, const LinphoneCoreVTable *vtab
 	const char *remote_provisioning_uri = NULL;
 	ms_message("Initializing LinphoneCore %s", linphone_core_get_version());
 	memset (lc, 0, sizeof (LinphoneCore));
-	lc->config=config;
+	lc->config=lp_config_ref(config);
 	lc->data=userdata;
 	lc->ringstream_autorelease=TRUE;
 
@@ -1421,8 +1421,11 @@ static void linphone_core_init(LinphoneCore * lc, const LinphoneCoreVTable *vtab
 LinphoneCore *linphone_core_new(const LinphoneCoreVTable *vtable,
 						const char *config_path, const char *factory_config_path, void * userdata)
 {
+	LinphoneCore *lc;
 	LpConfig *config = lp_config_new_with_factory(config_path, factory_config_path);
-	return linphone_core_new_with_config(vtable, config, userdata);
+	lc=linphone_core_new_with_config(vtable, config, userdata);
+	lp_config_unref(config);
+	return lc;
 }
 
 LinphoneCore *linphone_core_new_with_config(const LinphoneCoreVTable *vtable, struct _LpConfig *config, void *userdata)
diff --git a/coreapi/lpconfig.c b/coreapi/lpconfig.c
index 6e51d257c..d6ccea612 100644
--- a/coreapi/lpconfig.c
+++ b/coreapi/lpconfig.c
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ typedef struct _LpSection{
 } LpSection;
 
 struct _LpConfig{
+	int refcnt;
 	FILE *file;
 	char *filename;
 	MSList *sections;
@@ -287,6 +288,7 @@ LpConfig * lp_config_new(const char *filename){
 
 LpConfig * lp_config_new_from_buffer(const char *buffer){
 	LpConfig* conf = lp_new0(LpConfig,1);
+	conf->refcnt=1;
 	LpSection* current_section = NULL;
 
 	char* ptr = ms_strdup(buffer);
@@ -305,7 +307,7 @@ LpConfig * lp_config_new_from_buffer(const char *buffer){
 
 LpConfig *lp_config_new_with_factory(const char *config_filename, const char *factory_config_filename) {
 	LpConfig *lpconfig=lp_new0(LpConfig,1);
-
+	lpconfig->refcnt=1;
 	if (config_filename!=NULL){
 		ms_message("Using (r/w) config information from %s", config_filename);
 		lpconfig->filename=ortp_strdup(config_filename);
@@ -354,13 +356,28 @@ void lp_item_set_value(LpItem *item, const char *value){
 }
 
 
-void lp_config_destroy(LpConfig *lpconfig){
+static void _lp_config_destroy(LpConfig *lpconfig){
 	if (lpconfig->filename!=NULL) ortp_free(lpconfig->filename);
 	ms_list_for_each(lpconfig->sections,(void (*)(void*))lp_section_destroy);
 	ms_list_free(lpconfig->sections);
 	free(lpconfig);
 }
 
+LpConfig *lp_config_ref(LpConfig *lpconfig){
+	lpconfig->refcnt++;
+	return lpconfig;
+}
+
+void lp_config_unref(LpConfig *lpconfig){
+	lpconfig->refcnt--;
+	if (lpconfig->refcnt==0)
+		_lp_config_destroy(lpconfig);
+}
+
+void lp_config_destroy(LpConfig *lpconfig){
+	lp_config_unref(lpconfig);
+}
+
 void lp_section_remove_item(LpSection *sec, LpItem *item){
 	sec->items=ms_list_remove(sec->items,(void *)item);
 	lp_item_destroy(item);
diff --git a/coreapi/lpconfig.h b/coreapi/lpconfig.h
index f0f330c18..bd229803e 100644
--- a/coreapi/lpconfig.h
+++ b/coreapi/lpconfig.h
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ extern "C" {
 
 /**
  * Instantiates a LpConfig object from a user config file.
- *
+ * The caller of this constructor owns a reference. lp_config_unref() must be called when this object is no longer needed.
  * @ingroup misc
  * @param filename the filename of the config file to read to fill the instantiated LpConfig
  * @see lp_config_new_with_factory
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ LINPHONE_PUBLIC LpConfig * lp_config_new(const char *filename);
 
 /**
  * Instantiates a LpConfig object from a user provided buffer.
- *
+ * The caller of this constructor owns a reference. lp_config_unref() must be called when this object is no longer needed.
  * @ingroup misc
  * @param buffer the buffer from which the lpconfig will be retrieved. We expect the buffer to be null-terminated.
  * @see lp_config_new_with_factory
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ LINPHONE_PUBLIC LpConfig * lp_config_new_from_buffer(const char *buffer);
 
 /**
  * Instantiates a LpConfig object from a user config file and a factory config file.
- *
+ * The caller of this constructor owns a reference. lp_config_unref() must be called when this object is no longer needed.
  * @ingroup misc
  * @param config_filename the filename of the user config file to read to fill the instantiated LpConfig
  * @param factory_config_filename the filename of the factory config file to read to fill the instantiated LpConfig
@@ -259,6 +259,19 @@ LINPHONE_PUBLIC const char* lp_config_get_default_string(const LpConfig *lpconfi
 **/
 LINPHONE_PUBLIC const char* lp_config_get_section_param_string(const LpConfig *lpconfig, const char *section, const char *key, const char *default_value);
 
+
+/**
+ * increment reference count
+ * @ingroup misc
+**/
+LINPHONE_PUBLIC LpConfig *lp_config_ref(LpConfig *lpconfig);
+
+/**
+ * Decrement reference count, which will eventually free the object.
+ * @ingroup misc
+**/
+LINPHONE_PUBLIC void lp_config_unref(LpConfig *lpconfig);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif